The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to intensify inspections of restaurants, hotels, dairies and other food establishments across Mumbai following the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent enforcement drive against food safety violations.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has directed the civic body’s health department to conduct ward-level inspections, focusing initially on establishments that have previously been served notices for hygiene and food safety violations. Businesses found to be non-compliant during the inspections could face cancellation of their municipal health licences.
The move follows the FDA’s ongoing ‘Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra’ campaign, under which authorities inspected 443 hotels, restaurants and dhabas between May 25 and July 14, issued 161 improvement notices and suspended 56 food business licences for food safety violations.
Among the establishments whose licences were recently suspended are Mumbai’s Shalimar Restaurant, Noor Mohammadi Hotel, Parsi Dairy Farm and the iconic K. Rustom Ice Cream outlet.
According to the Mayor, the BMC’s enforcement will complement the FDA’s efforts by ensuring continued compliance with hygiene and sanitation standards at the municipal level. The inspections will cover restaurants, hotels, dairies and other food businesses operating under BMC-issued health licences.
In Mumbai, a BMC health licence is mandatory for restaurants, eating houses, dairies, milk product manufacturers, medical shops, ice factories, beverage manufacturers and several other food-related establishments. Failure to maintain prescribed hygiene and food safety standards can result in suspension or cancellation of these licences.
The intensified inspections signal a stricter regulatory environment for Mumbai’s food service sector as authorities seek to strengthen food safety compliance and restore consumer confidence.
